Guide

5 Reasons why City Breaks are the Best Way to Travel

European city breaks are a fantastic way of travelling. We’ve listed the 5 most compelling reasons why you should city break more.

1. Time is money

Time is money. And by this we mean our limited working annual leave is money. A city break allows you to experience a cultural microcosm of a country in a short period of time. With little planning required (relative to longer, more distant travel destinations) you can organise a city break in literal hours. Depending on your destination there is often less paperwork required, less insurance and less currency concerns. You can experience a hyper-distilled cocktail of cuisine, language, architecture, art, history and people in only a few short days. That’s a huge amount of culture to experience in such a small amount of time. The best thing? You can do it all over again with a long weekend next month.

2. Money is money

Money is money. And by this we mean that travel can get pretty expensive. City breaks (and weekend breaks in general) offer an excellent way to scratch that wanderlust itch yet not break the bank. Book trains in advance, hunt for the last minute deals, fly budget, travel carry-on only and don’t be afraid to use the thousands of hostels and Airbnb rooms that are scattered all over Europe.

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3. Adventure is on your doorstep

Asia, Oceania and the Americas have countless exotic destinations to explore. You wouldn’t be blamed for craving the bustle and beaches of Thailand for example. That all being said, it’s easy to overlook the gems that exist on our continental doorstep. You can of course head to the classic locations like Paris, Berlin, Madrid and Rome. They’re popular for a reason! If you’re looking for something different (and often cheaper) you can also explore some of the relatively lesser travelled cities such as Krakow with its renowned history, Budapest with its deceptively fantastic restaurants (6 Michelin star restaurants in the city alone) and Bilbao which is surrounded by mountains and holds the famed Guggenheim.

4. Sustainable travel

European city breaks offer the unique chance of capitalising on sustainable travel. Due to their close proximity you can use greener transport and avoid carbon heavy flights. When you reach destination, and have dropped your bags, there is no better way of exploring the city than by foot, eliminating the carbon conundrum altogether. There are also plenty of hostels and hotels in European cities that hold eco-accreditations that can guarantee that your chosen accommodation adheres to certain sustainability criteria.

5. Travel light

We’ve brushed upon one of the greatest benefits of city breaks already: flying carry-on only. As well as the financial benefits, travelling carry-on only also saves you time at baggage carrousel, makes it easier to move around and means you’re more focused on your holiday. Do you really need your 2 coats, 3 pairs of shoes and both a laptop and an iPad. No? Well good, because you only have one bag anyway! Ditch the excess, travel light and get exploring.